The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Good series ahead

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Monday, Nov 05, 2007
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Good series ahead

In a way it is tougher playingat home thanaway, writesG.R. Viswanath

Any series involving India and Pakistan has a certain unmatchable thrill attached to it. The political turmoil that unfolded in Pakistan will hopefully not have an effect on the series. The Pakistani team management has rightly stated that they are here to play cricket and will focus solely on that, which is the best way to go about it.

Given the intensity with which these series are played — something I believe hasn’t dimmed despite the more frequent tours these days — the tension is tremendous, sometimes unbearable, and in a way it is tougher playing at home than away. While everything is great when you are doing well, the moment things slip, the home supporters turn against you. Being harassed by your own crowd is not a pleasant feeling at all.

Good sign

Young men, who are somewhat similar in their approach to the game, lead both teams. Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Shoaib Malik are calm and composed. Dhoni will start happier with the knowledge that his team beat Malik’s in the T20 World Cup but he will also be aware how close the contest was, with one match being tied too.

The Indian team also has quite a few exciting youngsters, and I am very keen to see how the likes of Robin Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir go in this series. The pressure will be on, different from what they faced against the all-conquering Australians and it will be interesting to see how they cope, especially now that Shoaib Akhtar is back. Akhtar for his part has been through a lot of things lately and he will be desperate to make full use of this chance to redeem his career.

Another aspect I will be closely watching will be the implementation of the rotation policy that the Indian selection committee chairman has advocated. Will they for example dare to leave out the remaining seniors in a series against Pakistan, more so if they perform — I am not so sure of that.

One thing I am sure of is that very little has changed in Indian cricket when it comes to selection matters. In my playing days too, no one bothered to explain matters to proven players when they were dropped from the side and the same thing continues till today as it happened in Rahul’s case. It hurt me then and it hurts me more now given that we are said to be in a more professional era.

To get back to the series itself, the early winter conditions that will prevail will make it difficult for the captain winning the toss.

It will not be the usual case of win the toss and bat, at least in the day matches, as there will be excessive movement early in the morning but whether the Indians bat first or not, they must look to make early inroads into the Pakistan batting, which is chiefly dependent on the two veterans Younis and Yousuf.

Pakistan’s opening batsmen have been found wanting over a period now and the Indians must exploit that. All in all exciting times lie ahead.

Hawkeye Communications / Chivach Sports

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